Dave Gonzalez

DG here! Hometown: Whittier, California, current place of residence: "Schlitzerland!"

In the Bros. I play a few instruments… a Fender "Buck Owens" model electric guitar, a Dan-Electro "Baritone" guitar, a Fender Ensenada Series spruce-top "steel-string" and a Fender Ensenada series spruce-top "nylon-string" guitar. Other instruments I’ve played in the past are the bass and drums.

Previous bands/artists I’ve played with...Whew!!! As most of you know I had a band before the Hacienda Brothers called "The Paladins”. We toured a lot and made 10-records. We were together for over 20 years and backed up countless legendary musicians.

Some favorite artists of mine… I like everybody from 'Wes' to 'Waylon', from 'Buck to 'B.B.’, "Brother Ray Price" to 'Brother Ray Charles"! I like 'roots' music. Old music. Always have. Country is my favorite but I do like a lot of soul and R&B, blues and even a lot of types of Jazz and 'Big Bands' too. But I just tend to stick to the roots stuff. I'm into old records and 'recording'. I've had old jukeboxes for years, and there's been many times when that was my only record player...my Jukebox! I just really love that Jukebox 'sound' and I just constantly listen to that old box, everything about it. The songs. The productions. I'm a 'sound' cat… a 'song' cat.

My favorite band though is the Hacienda Brothers band!!! And here’s why... It's been so many years to get to where I could be in a band like the Hacienda Brothers. A band that wouldn't be limited musically in any way. No boundaries. So first, I had to find the right musicians.

First up was the right singer! I'm very proud of being with a great singer like Chris Gaffney. Chris just lays it out there with total soul, and a 'soul-deep' maturity. Chris is a GREAT singer. Plus he is a very good mentor to me. He's been playing professionally for 10 years longer than me, and I started professionally in the early 80's!!

My dream of the type of band that could really mix A LOT of 'roots' styles together well, finally started to come together with the right lineup back in Oct of '03. That was when we lucked out and got David 'DB' Berzanski to join us on his 'Sho-Bud' pedal steel guitar! To me, the steel guitar is a beautiful and extremely expressive instrument. From my standpoint it’s second only to the human voice speaking, and DB can make that guitar sing!!! We'd had numerous great steel players before DB, but we needed the right guy. A full time cat that was REAL country at the core, yet ready for a lot of other roots styles. And just the way your favorite boots or jeans fit, he fit us, and we fit him… just right! DB is the final link in the chain! DB joined just two weeks before we recorded our self-titled debut record. Whew! Just in time!

Our 'back bone' is our Great drummer Dale Daniel. Dale has been with us from just about the very first show. Way back when we held (and started!) the Potluck-Sundays at the fabulous Doll Hut. Dale has played all kinds of music with a ton of greats young and old. He's a total groove cat and is extremely steady and extremely smooth. And he REALLY listens to all the other musicians, to the whole picture. He's in complete control and ultra smooth no matter what the style he's playing. He's mature and very well rounded in what he can do, and also in what he 'won’t' do.

Our bassist Hank Maninger, is another very Great musician! A bassist and guitarist, who is into many roots styles. Hank is the 'Theory' cat of our band. He's real 'music smart', like a college graduate/professor of music type cat. He helps me TONS! He's great at everything he plays. He can swing, he can rock, he can groove, and he's played everything! He's been in a lot of top touring bands playing guitar and bass. He's got chops! He's got groove! Yet again, he knows when to just keep it simple and soulful.

…And we cannot forget the Great and timeless musical contributions that keyboard wizard Joe Terry has brought to our new record. Joe hails from Springfield, Montana and is a member of Dave Alvin’s touring band The Guilty Men. And that is how we met him. He has toured all over the world with Dave Alvin. Along with our Chris Gaffney, who is also a member of The Guilty Men. Joe plays beautiful piano, organ, electric piano, and marimba! (That’s Joe playing harmony marimba to DB’s steel solo on our new studio recording of “Cowboys to Girls”.) Joe is a huge talent and can play anything. There are no boundaries for him yet he also has such a mature restraint. He plays everything soulfully and has total command of the instrument. There is just pure soulful taste in every note. He’s the secret weapon of the Hacienda Brothers’ western soul sound. We’re all hoping that we might get even a half a hit. Then maybe we could get Joe to become a full-time Bro! Joe, Amen brother! Our great producer Dan Penn said of Joe, “I wish he’d move to Nashville, I’d adopt him!”

In The Bros, it's more about less, "less is more"! It’s having a really 'full' sound yet nobody is trying to out-play each other. We're all just trying to play the song, together, as a band. And most important, always trying our best to listen to our singer and back the vocal!

We put in a lot of stage time together since the fall of '03, but we also put in a good amount of studio time as well. There are a lot of great bands that can cook on stage. But this band can REALLY cook in the studio! This is where the depth and the maturity, and years of experience really become apparent. When the tape deck is rolling and the producer is taking the song and the musicians to the next level.... making a record! I'm REALLY REALLY PROUD of how great all of the Hacienda Brothers can play/record in the studio. Cause to me it's the recording/the record that will be forever. And it's 'the song' that is most important of all.

To all our friends and fans, thank you for your support! We're very proud of our first record, of our live sound, and now we have another new record for you. Hope you like it! If you do please tell everyone!!!

Hope to see y'all soon on the next round of touring. All the best! Thanks!